UConn Splits Weekend Series With UMass Lowell Winning 5-1

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Following a gritty road victory in Hartford on Friday night, the UMass Lowell River Hawks returned home to the Tsongas Center on Saturday to host the No. 10 UConn Huskies. Before a crowd of 5,323, the River Hawks looked to capitalize on their recent momentum and a favorable stretch of the schedule that features nine remaining home games.

Despite a hot start and a stellar power-play goal, the River Hawks couldn’t sustain their offensive pressure, eventually falling 5-1 as UConn pulled away in the closing minutes.

Early Spark at Tsongas

UMass Lowell entered the contest with senior forward Dillan Bentley playing his best hockey of the season, having tallied six points (3G, 3A) over his last three games. That energy translated early when UConn’s Carlin Dezainde was whistled for hooking at the 2:24 mark.

Just seconds into the power play, Luke Shipley struck for the second time in as many nights. Shipley took a precision cross-ice pass just inside the Huskies’ zone and beat UConn goaltender Kam Hendrickson to give UML a 1-0 lead. It was the 14th power-play goal of the season for the River Hawks.

However, the lead was short-lived. At 10:29 of the first, Kaden Shahan tied the game with his 6th of the year, dragging the puck toward the slot and beating UML’s Austin Elliott over the shoulder.

Muldowney Takes Control

The second period was a defensive stalemate for the first few minutes until Joey Muldowney found the back of the net at 5:20. Following a scramble to the right of the net, Muldowney pried the puck loose to give UConn a 2-1 lead.

UML fought back, carrying a 24-23 shot advantage into the final frame, but history was against them; the River Hawks entered the period with a 1-9-0 record when trailing after 40 minutes.

Game Summary & Stats

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Final	Shots
#10 UConn	1	1	3	5	30
UMass Lowell	1	0	0	1	29

The Third Period Surge

The River Hawks caught a massive break at the 6:50 mark of the third period when a UConn goal was overturned due to an offsides call. UML pushed aggressively to capitalize on the reprieve, earning two power-play opportunities, but Hendrickson stood tall in net for the Huskies.

With 2:33 remaining, head coach Norm Bazin pulled Austin Elliott (25 saves) to gain the extra attacker. The gamble did not pay off, as UConn quickly iced the game with two empty-net goals from Joey Muldowney (his second of the night) and Ryan Tattle

Following a late penalty by Shipley, Tattle added a power-play marker at 19:33 to finalize the 5-1 scoreline.

Coach’s Corner: Norm Bazin

Reflecting on the weekend split, Coach Bazin felt his team played “five and a half good periods” but lamented the missed opportunities on Saturday.

“I’m not sure we took full advantage of the chances we got on offense,” Bazin said. “Special teams played a major role, and we were only 1-for-5 on the power play tonight. UConn played with a bit more urgency, and their goaltender [Hendrickson] was excellent.”

Bazin emphasized the need for the River Hawks to become a more dominant home-ice team as they navigate the back end of the Hockey East schedule.

Up Next: The River Hawks prepare for a high-stakes home-and-home series against the Boston University Terriers next weekend.